Monday, August 27, 2007

... " You write: 'I am afraid of my unworthiness and many backslidings.' Do not forget that the Lord Jesus Christ took on our flesh and was a perfect man - without sin - not for the righteous, but for sinners.

' Glory to thy mercy, O Lord!'

The Lord knows our weakness and has granted us the healing of repentance. According to the law of spiritual knowledge, the more a man succeeds in the spiritual life, the more sinful he sees himself to be. St Peter Damascene writes: 'If a man sees his sins as sands of the sea, this is a sign of a healthy soul'. With these feelings there is no room for despair; one's soul is filled with tenderness and love towards all that live on earth. Blessed are such people, those who reach that state. It is God's reward for deepest humility and is called dispassion. "